Condenser.



B. G. HBLANDBR.

GONDENSEB.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.19, 1910.

1,048,532. Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

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B. G. HELANDER.

OONDENSER.

APPLIOATION FILED 00T.19, 1910.

Patented Dec.31,1912.

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INVENTOR E. G. HELANDER.

coNDENsER.

` APPLICATION FILED 00T. 19, 1910. 1 ,048,532. Patented Dec. 31,1912.

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WITNESSES INVENTOR Wm l L @xmlfr 'UNITED sTATEs PATENT onirica.

ERNST GJHELAIDER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR F ONE-HALF '1.0 v AXEL H. HELANDER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

coNDENsEn.

vention; .Figf 2.is a similar view showing.

a modification; Fig. l3 is a detail showing another way of connecting the water supply; Fig. 4 is a detail sectional, view showing st-ill another modification; Fig. 5 is a detail sectional view showing stillnan'other modification; Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing one wayin which the airpumps may be connected; and Fig. 7 is a similar view showing another way of connecting the ahi/pumps.

ylinvention has relation to condensers and the method of operating the same, and i is applicable to loarometric' condensers, jet condensers and barometric jet condensers.

Itis well known that a large part of t-he work expended in maintaining the proper degree of vacuum in the condensing chaml ber of arcondnser is that which is requiredl to exhaust the air which is carried into the condenser with the cooling water. This air expands in proportion to the vacuum,l so "that the higher the degree of'vacuum, the i larger will be the volume of air which must be extracted by the air pump. Thus, the higher the vacuum, the larger the capacity of the air pump which is required. For example, when the air which -is mixed with 9 the cooling water and which is under atmosheric pressure when outside of the conenser, entersv a `condenser which has twenty-six inches of vacuum,

pounds absolute pressure, the a1r will ex- 5 pand substantially in the ratio of i55- or 7%. If Vthe v'same air is taken into the condenser when the vacuum is twenty-eight inches, the air will expand in the ratio o 115- or 15. It

therefore requires an air pump of twice the 0 capacity to maintain a Vacuum of twentyeight lnches, asI compared with that requlred to maintaina vacuum of twenty-six inches. The figures given are, of course, only, approximate, but are sufficiently laccu- 5 rate for the` purpose.

specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 31, 1912.

Application led October 19, 1910. SerialNo. 587,951.

The object of my invention is to diminish the size of the air pump, especially where higher vacuumsfare required, and at the same time' to obtain the highest possible vacuum. I attain this object by a preliminary exhaustion of the air-from the coollng water before the latter enters the cond ensing chamber. A'large portion of the a1r can in this way be extracted at a lower vacuum than that which is maintained in the condenser chamber, preferably leaving f but a comparatively small quantity of air to be extracted from such` chamber. This not only enables me to maintain a higher vacuum in the condenser chamber, but it also enables me to employ smaller pumpsand driving engines therefor.

My invention is susceptible of `various modifications, some of which will now be described.

Referring first to that form of my invention shown in Fig..1, the numeral 2 desig nates the condensing chamber of a barometric condenser. 3 is the steam inlet pipe, anda the usualtail ipe which extends downwardly into the wel or sink 5. 6 is the usual connection with the air pump forv exhausting the chamber, and 7 designates internal batlles over which the. cooling yfluid Hows and is brou ht into contact with theV steam discharged into the chamber, the condenser being of the well known counter current type.

Surrounding the upper portion of the chamber 2 is an annular chamber 8, which u is provided with any suitable arrangement of interior bales 9, andto which is connecteso ed a water supply pipe 10. Connected with this chamber, preferably at the Vupper portion thereof., is an exhaust connection 11, which leads' to an air pump or exhauster.

vIn Fig. 6, I have'shown thepipe connection ,6 as leading from a pump 12, and tige pipe 11 as leading from a second pump 1 the two pum s being arranged in tan- 'dem and driven y an'engine 14. In Fig.

7, I have shown the vtwo pipes Gand 11 as connected to opposite sides of a doubleacting pump 15, driven by an engine 16.

'In the arrangement shown in Fig. 6, the

two pumps 12 and 13 may be of any desired relative capacity, n and in the form shown in Fig. 7, any suitable regulating means may be provided fortmaintaining the diiierence of vacuum between the two con.

. nary exhausting of the air, although this.

nections 6 and 1l. Comparatively little regulation will, however, be required, sinceV owingto the preliminary exhaustion of the air from the chamber 8, the 'same pump will be able tomaintain a higher degreeof vacuum in the chamber 2 than in the chamber 8.

The lower-portion of the chamber 8 is connected with the chamber 2 through the opening or openings 17, and the greater degree of vacuum in the chamber 2 will maintain a difference of water level in the two chambers substantially asindicated in Fig. l, soA that the vwater maintains an efficient seal.

The operation will be 'readily understood. By means of the exhaust connection 11, a large part of the air contained in the entering Water will be exhausted at lrelative-ly low degree of vacuum, as compared with thev vacuum which is maintained in the chamber 2.4 If' the pump is arranged to maintai'n a vacuum of twenty-six inches in the chamber 8, the expansion of air in the chamber 8 is only one-half that in the chamber 2, and therefore, the same quantity of air can be exhausted from thechamber 8 with one-half the volume which ywould be present if it were exhausted. from the chamber 2.

In the modification of my invention shown in Fig. 2, the preliminary exhaust chamber 8, corresponding to the chamber 8 of the form first described, instead of surrounding the chamber 2, is a separate chamber connected with the chamber 2 by a connection 18. Fig. 3 shows a form of the invent-ion similar Vto tha-t'shown in Fig. 2, except that the water instead of entering the upper portion of the chamber by a. pipe connection l0, as shown in Fig. 2, enters by a pipe 10, which extends upwardly through the bottom wall of the chamber 8b. 19 designates suitable baflles in the chamber 8", and 20 is a hood placed above the upper end ofthe pipe 10 l,

Fig. 4 shows a form ofl my inventionwhich has a two-stage preliminary exhaustion. In

this form, two of the chambers 8a, such as shown in 2, are connected in series with each other by a pipe 21, and each chamber is provided with an exhaust connection 22. The water flows from the second chamber 8@L into the condenser chamber proper 2, .through the 4connection 23. This arrangement gives a very high degree `of prelimiform will not ordinarily be required.

Fig. 5 illustrates a safety attachment which may or may not be used. In this ligure, which shows thegeneral construction shown in Fig. 1, and to which the same f reference characters are applied to corresponding parts as in that figure, I have shown a by-pass 24, connecting the chamber 2 with the exhaust connection 1-1. 4This by-pass is provided with a checkvalve 25, which is normally held closed by the higher 'vacuum maintained in the chamber 2. The chamber 8 is also provided with afioat 26, vWhose upwardly extending stem 27 is provided with a valve 28, arranged to close the entrance to the connection 11.

If the pump operating the exhaust connection to the main chamber 2 fails for any reason to operate properly, a higher degree of vacuum will be created in the chamber 8 than in the chamber 2. The water will therefore rise in the chamber 8, operating the float 26, to close the valve'28. At the same time, the valve\25 will be opened by the decrease of vacuum in the chamber 2, and the pump l1 will therefore exhaust from the chamber2, and will operate to temporarily maintain the vacuum therein.

The yadvantages of my invention will be readily understood by those skilled in the art, since as above stated, it provides for the maintenance of a higher degree of vacuum in a condenser chamber by the use of pumps .of relatively small capacity or displacement.` The advantage of Vbeing able to use pumps or exhausters of smaller capacity is well understood in the art. The condensing chamber can be readily applied to existing condensers, and will largely `increase --their efliciency and decreasel the operating expense.

It will be obvious that the invention is susceptible of various modifications other than those which I have illustrated and de-r scribed, since the preliminary exhaustion or rarefying chamber or chambers can bearranged in various ways relatively tothe main condenser chamber; it may be used in connection with other styles ofA condensers; any suitable arrangement of pumps" or exhausters may be employed; and various changes may be made in the details of construction and. arrangement, all without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, as defined in the appended claims. I claim: v Y 1. Condensing apparatus, comprising a lmain condensing chamber, a preliminary chamber for the cooling water, separate air exhausting'- mea-ns connected to the said chambers and adapted to maintain a 'higher degree of vacuum in the main than in'the preliminary chamber, means for causing the cooling water to fall by gravity through the preliminary chamber, iand a water passage y connecting the two chambers 'and having water sealing legs which maintain a constant water seal under variations which may occur in the degrees of vacuum in the two chambers; substantially as described.

2. Condensing apparatus, comprising a` main condensing chamber, a preliminary chamber for the condensing water, the two chambers havlng a water sealed water passage connection, separate pumping means l for exhausting the two chambers to maintain a higher degree of vacuum i'n the main than in the preliminary chamber', a ley-pass connecting theexhaust outlets from the two chambers, and Valve means operated by change in the water level in the preliminary chamber for connecting the main chamber y with the exhaust pump of the preliminary chamber; substantially as described. 10

H. A. HELANDER, E. A. LowNGEs 

